AUGUSTA - Apparently, blondes do have more fun, and so do a few brunettes and a redhead.

It is easy to be thrilled by an unbeaten regular season and a Western Maine Championship, and that's what the Buckfield girls reveled in Saturday afternoon at the Augusta Civic Center.

The Bucks, led by their "Flaxen Five" starters, scored 14 straight points in the opening quarter and rolled to a 51-37 win over Vinalhaven in the Western D title. It is the first championship for Buckfield since 1990.

"This is so great," said senior guard Amy Reuter, the solitary redhead. "We've won states before in softball but basketball was harder. We started out freshman year, and our team did horribly.We just kept getting a little better and now we went 21-0 and we're the best team in the West. It's so great."

The Bucks only won four games when the seniors, Reuter, Kasey Farrington and Alyssa Henderson were freshmen. The Buckfield program was a great distance from the glory days when the Bucks were the dominant team in Western D.

Coach Troy Eastman returned to the helm with a desire to turn fortunes around. He reminded the girls Saturday that not too long ago they were the worst team in the league, and now they were in the regional final.

"They see that if you work and believe in each other and buy into something, you can do it," said Eastman.

After last year's heartbreaking semifinal exit, the Bucks have been on a mission in pursuit of a title. Thus far, they've matched the perfect season of the Buckfield clubs in 1979, 1980, 1986 and 1990. Two of those clubs won the state title, and the current Bucks get that chance next Saturday against Woodland in Augusta.

"It's unbelievable," said Alyssa Henderson. "We've been working for this forever. So, to finally do it, it feels awesome."

Ashlee Hamann led the Bucks with 16 points and paced the defensive effort that forced over 30 turnovers. Hamann was named the tournament's most outstanding player. Alyssa Henderson added 13, and Farrington, Lindsay Henderson, Emily Eastman all added six each.

"We had a big talk in practice (Friday) saying 'We're going to Western Maine's. We haven't done that in 18 years. We need to come out and show them what we're made of.'" said Hamann. "I think we definitely did that with the intensity we had."

Buckfield's starting five, also dubbed the 'Blonde Squad,' put the Vikings in the hole early. Brunettes Abby Jones and Tristen Newton came off the bench to help the cause. Though Vinalhaven got the first basket, the Bucks countered with 14 straight. Vinalhaven shot 1-for-10 in the first quarter and had eight turnovers. Hamann led the charge with eight points in the opening quarter. After Farrington scored, Hamann converted a steal. Following a Lindsay Henderson free throw, Hamann hit back-to-back three pointers. Alyssa Henderson added a three-pointer of her own for a 14-2 lead.

"We've been struggling in the tournament to get those," said Hamann. "At practice, we have to shoot like 80 three's before we can leave the gym. I think that helps a lot, especially today when we really needed them."

Vinalhaven (15-6) hoped its zone would slow down the Bucks, but the outside shooting of Hamann and Alyssa Henderson nixed that. Those two combined for five three-pointers, four coming in the first half.

"It wasn't just the shot either," said Eastman. "It was the two or three or four passes before the shot that created that shot. It wasn't just dribbling down and shooting it."

Vinalhaven got within 18-11 in the second on a three-pointer by Alex Young, but the Bucks finished the half with an 8-2 run. Lindsay Henderson had three points during that stretch. Eastman scored in the lane, and Alyssa Henderson put an exclamation point on it with a three-pointer that made it 26-13 at the half.

She hit another three-pointer to start the second half, and the Bucks increased the lead to 39-22 on a basket by Eastman and free throws by Lindsay Henderson. The Vikings scored 15 in the final quarter but baskets by Newton, Hamann, Farrington and Alyssa Henderson preserved the lead.

"We knew if we got off to a good start, we could maintain it the whole game," said Alyssa Henderson. "Coming into the second half, we knew we had to keep it going because they're a comeback team."